Feral
by dragonheartt
Summary: 'Abby wondered what she'd gotten herself into, running in calling his name. Connor whipped around and growled at her, eyes dark and blank, no recognition in them' Feral!Connor and Conby.
1. Chapter 1

AN: au ish thing set vaguely late S3. At the point at which Conby's relationship is on that edge between friends and something more. Was a oneshot drabblet on a whim, but I'm now extending it into a full fic. :3 Hope you enjoy! :D

AN2:The inspiration for a fic with a feralized Connor can be found in SCWLC's fics, however the plotline of this story is not, at least consciously, based upon any other fic. (subconscious choices might feel similar, but as the main idea behind this is based on a dream...) - simply: any similarities to other fics is completely unintentional...

* * *

Abby wondered what she'd gotten herself into, running in calling his name. Connor whipped around and growled at her, eyes dark and blank, no recognition in them as he stalked towards her, moving with the sloping ease of some wild animal.

Whatever had happened to him, there was little left of her sweet-hearted best mate in there now. Despite knowing this, she couldn't let go of the hope that maybe, maybe she could save him, that she could do something to return him to the man he was before.

He bared his teeth and snarled, like some feral beast and not her Connor , and Abby backed up, cautiously.

"Connor..." She murmered softly, using her knowledge of animal behavior to her advantage as she made herself seem less of a threat to whatever was making him act this way. He blinked owlishly, tilting his head a little, and though his teeth were still bared, he let out a confused-sounding whine. "Connor Temple." Abby tentatively took a step forwards when he seemed to calm down a little. "It's Abby, your Abby. It's okay, everything's alright." She continued in a soothing tone, extending a hand slowly. He narrowed his eyes, but stayed still as she touched his cheek gently, letting her hand drift up into his hair, petting him as if he was a cat.

She couldn't help but smile when he purred, though the fact that he did so seemed outside of logic. Then again, all of this was, more or less, completely crazy.

Maybe there was hope after all, she thought, as Connor's strange sort of purring grew louder, and he suddenly pressed closer, ducking his head against the space between her neck and shoulder. Abby wrapped her arms around him and continued to 'pet' him. If he recognized her, maybe she could get him back to the ARC, and they could figure out how to reverse whatever the hell this was.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: So I had inspiration to continue! :D Here's chapter 2! (There probably won't be more than 5 chapters at the most...)

* * *

"Abby!"  
"Where are you?"  
Abby silently cursed Danny and Becker as she felt Connor stiffen, his shoulders tensing as he twisted out of her hold and backed away, hissing slightly, eyes blown wide with fear and a wild sort of caution.

"I'm in here." She said calmly, just loud enough for Danny and Becker to hear as they approached. "Slow down and quiet down, you're scarin' him." She added. Connor was still backing up, eyes darting as he looked around for a way out. The other two entered the room, pausing as they took in the scene.

"Did he hurt you Abby?" Danny asked. She shook her head.

"No, he recognized me - he was calm. Then you two started shoutin', and now he feels trapped. He might try 'n attack if we get any closer." She said, then turned to glance at Becker. "And you will not be shooting him, okay? Even if he leaps at any one of us, don't you shoot him, or you'll wish you were dead." She cautioned - threatened - the soldier, who nodded.

"I wouldn't, anyway. He's still Connor." It was implicit in Becker's tone that he didn't think Connor, even 'feral' as he was right now, much of a match for himself. She smirked and considered letting him provoke Connor just to see the outcome of that - but decided not to.

"He's got the instincts of a wild animal right now, I think..." She paused. "You two back up against that wall, and I'm going to try and calm him down again. You might want to sit down, too. Less of a threat, he won't be as likely to attack." Danny raised his eyebrows, but nodded, grabbing Becker's shoulder and pulling the captain back. The two did as she suggested, and she slowly moved forwards again.

"Connor, you're okay. They're friends, they're not gonna hurt you, yeah? And I'm not going to, either. You know me, right?" Abby said softly, approaching her best friend. His eyes lost some of the terrified-and-trapped look they'd had in them, and brightened slightly at the sound and sight of the familiar pale-haired, blue-eyed person he loved. He whined at her, stepping forwards and then leaning close to nuzzle his nose against the join between her neck and shoulders, and she put a hand on his back, 'petting' him again.

"Okay Conn, you're alright." Abby giggled, and he pulled away, eyes narrowed. "Your nose is cold, Connor." She explained, knowing he probably couldn't exactly understand her words right now, but hoping her tone was enough to assure him that it wasn't anything to worry about.

He looked over her shoulder at Danny and Becker, and made a sound sort of a cross between a growl and a whine, and then tilted his head, gaze meeting Abby's. There was a hint of recognition in his eyes. He was sort of like a wolf, or a big cat, and perhaps was starting to recognize and identify the others as part of his... pack? Clan? She wasn't quite sure.

Abby moved her hand from his shoulder, grasping his hand lightly instead. He paused, and then purred, and let himself be led towards where the other two men sat.

"Where's Sarah?" She asked, frowning. Becker chuckled, eyeing Connor warily in case that set him off. The feral-minded man merely made a sort of whuffing noise, leaning closer to Abby.

"Sarah's working on an analysis based off what we found before Connor escaped. She thinks this might be reversible, so she roped a lab technician into running some tests on his blood." Becker told her.

"I offered her to come with us, but she said she'd be better off staying behind for now." Danny added, looking up at them.

"Hm." Abby stroked the back of Connor's hand with her thumb for a moment. He blinked at her. "I think I can get him to come back with us, as long as nothing startles him too badly, and as long as I stay near. He's recognized you two to an extent, I think, but he definitely prefers my company." She chuckled.

Danny and Becker exchanged glances and then grinned up at her.

"I see."

"Can we get up then?"

"Oh, er, yeah, hold on a moment." She led Connor away a little and kept a careful watch on him as the other two men stood. Connor's eyes narrowed, but the way his fingers were linked with Abby's seemed to keep him calm.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: The continued adventures of Feral!Connor... and an explanation of what happened to him...

* * *

It was a struggle to get Connor to let himself be led out of the abandoned factory building he'd hid from them in, and getting him to stay buckled in the backseat of the 4x4 with Abby between the factory and the ARC was even more of a struggle. He'd snarled at Danny and Becker several times, but calmed under Abby's gentle touch. He'd whined the whole car ride, the sound almost beyond their hearing.

Now he was fidgeting, perched awkwardly upon the seat of a wheeled computer chair in the ARC's ops area, Abby's fingers carding through his hair.

"Abby," The blonde looked over to see Sarah, looking apologetic, "apparently they didn't get a big enough sample of his blood before for the tests to come up with anything conclusive..." She continued. Abby bit her bottom lip.

"I don't think he'll run off again, but I can't be sure." Abby paused. "But we don't have many other choices, do we?" Sarah shook her head. "Okay, I'll try and keep Connor as calm as possible."

The subject of their conversation looked between them, head tilted and eyes bright. Abby glanced at him. "I'm half worried he'll stick his tongue out or ask for a belly scratch at this point - he's more like a... puppy, right now, but I think that's just because of how much he trusts me." Abby said, humor in her voice fading to a more thoughtful tone as she spoke.

Sarah snorted, and nodded.

"I think I'll go get the medic instead of a lab technician." Sarah told them, before heading off.

"Do you know where Danny's gone?" Abby called after her friend. She knew Becker had gone to the Armory at first, but he, too, had seemingly vanished somewhere in the ARC. Sarah turned back and her brow furrowed.

"He told me he thought it would be better for Connor if they stayed away? Something about wolf behaviors?"

Abby chuckled.

"Danny's all sorts of surprises lately, isn't he?" She commented. "Okay, see you in a while Sarah."

* * *

/Earlier that day.../

It had been a normal day to begin with: as usual, both Connor and Abby privately bemoaned the fact that they were no longer sharing a flat, though neither knew the other one missed them just as much. Abby yelled at Jack to wake up and not to make a mess of the flat while she was at work; Lester yelled at Connor for whatever damage Sid and/or Nancy had done during the night. Abby drove to work alone, missing Connor and the way he restlessly changed the station every few songs; Lester and Connor drove to work together, Lester missing his quiet car rides, Connor missing the ability to change the stations when he wanted.

Connor took over at the ADD from the night technician, who headed out, ran scans, and updated anything that needed it; Abby headed to the menagerie, bidding the vet who observed them at night a good rest as the man left, and then she checked on each of the creatures.

The morning passed quietly... until the ADD went crazy, the alarms blasting and readings going wild, the lights all went out at once, and an anomaly appeared in the middle of the ops room.

Abby rushed out of the menagerie at the sound of the alarm, and made her way through the dark hallways, worried about Connor. She found him a few feet away from the swirling shards of an anomaly, staring as if hypnotized.

Helen Cutter walked out of the anomaly, grinning cruely at Connor in a way that made Abby's stomach plummet. The ARC's resident genius backed off, glaring daggers at Helen. She smirked, Abby took a step forwards, and Helen raised what looked like a tranquilizer gun to point at Connor. The ARC's generator had horrible timing, as the lights suddenly went on, blinding Abby for a split second.

Apparently it was long enough for Helen to do something to Connor and get out of there, the anomaly closing behind her. Connor was lying on his back on the floor, and when he opened his eyes and backed away from her, growling, she realized something was wrong.

* * *

/Now/

Connor purred quietly, watching as Abby played a game of solitaire on his laptop next to him, waiting for the medic to get there from the office on the other end of the ARC...


	4. Chapter 4

AN: I think this is my first full fic about connor from abby's point of view! It's an interesting point of view... means I get to comment on Connor's face more! I mean, what? ^_^' The cover image for this story I found on the keychainproductions site, and all credit for that's to those awesome dudes :D (...It was the only pic I had that made me think feral!connor...and is a pic from 'blood on benefits')

* * *

While they waited, Abby finally had time to think about all of this. She glanced at Connor, who immediately turned to look at her, a silly expression on his face that made her think of her neighbor's puppy when she'd been younger. She sighed and looked back to her card game, running her fingers through his hair gently.

Lately, she had started to realize that she was feeling more than friendship towards Connor - had felt so without knowing it for quite some time now. Abby knew she tended to react impulsively and negatively, and she had, panicking and pushing Connor away at the first opportunity that presented itself. Of course she didn't fancy having both Jack and Connor sharing the flat with her, but... She had to admit to herself that she'd not suggested he sleep on the couch for personal, selfish reasons.

She was afraid that if she fell in love with him, their friendship would be ruined. The fact that pushing him away like this had seemed to make conversation awkward and stinted seemed to support her reasons for doing so. Or something like that. She bit her lip, brow furrowed slightly. If she really thought about it, it didn't make sense... but thinking about telling Connor... telling him she loved him... it terrified her. It made her heart race, and she wanted to run, but she couldn't, not from this and not from him.

But this... She'd thought of him as her Connor - and then called herself his Abby! She hadn't panicked then, because she hadn't been over-analyzing the situation. She nodded a little, glancing out of the corner of her eye at him. He was overly affectionate towards her right now, and growled at anyone else who was male... Abby blinked, feeling her cheeks warming. She silently cursed Helen Cutter, and huffed, turning 'round on her chair to face the empty ops area.

"What in the world could be taking him so long?!" She muttered, getting to her feet. Connor got to his feet as well, and she determinedly didn't think about it when she slipped her hand into his. If it made him calmer, that was what mattered, right?

* * *

/Earlier (after Helen's brief appearance).../

Becker and another SF grabbed Connor's arms when he leapt, like an animal, at Abby, a lab technician hurried into the room, eyes wide. Abby nervously approached the struggling Connor as Becker and Heming held onto him. She hadn't even realized the soldiers had entered the room until she'd found she wasn't under attack anymore.

"What happened to him?!" Becker demanded.

"Helen did something - shot somethin' at him!" She snapped, her mind solely on making sure her best friend was okay.

"Right, we need to get a blood test then, check for foreign contaminants in his bloodstream..." The technician said.

"Wouldn't it be better..."

"I'm a registered nurse as well, I'm allowed and capable of taking a blood sample and running the appropriate tests."

"Right." Abby nodded at Becker and Heming, who manhandled Connor through into the lab.

Not even ten minutes later, there were about three drops of blood in the vial, and Connor had ripped out the needle and ran out of the room, shoving Heming hard enough for the SF to go sprawling on his back.

"Connor!" Abby gave chase, following not too far behind. He was easy enough to spot in his red hoodie, but he was also a faster running than she, and it was only sheer luck that she found him in the factory.

* * *

/Now/

Sitting in the Medical office holding Abby's hand and purring, Connor presented a completely different picture than he had earlier. He was slightly nervous around the medic, but apart from wide eyes and a high-pitched whine whenever the man moved suddenly, Connor wasn't anything at all like he'd been.

Abby wasn't sure what would happen when the medic tried to take his blood, but she hoped her presence would keep him halcyon. She didn't much fancy another chase out of doors, especially not with the risk of an anomaly or two today still a possibility as always.

"Hey, Conn, it's alright. Dr Reynil's a good guy, this'll be over quicker 'n you can, erm..." She fumbled. "Well, it won't take a minute." Abby soothed, squeezing his hand in her's as the medic did his job. Connor whimpered once, but he did stay passive for the whole minute it took for Dr. Reynil to take blood for the tests.

Quite soon, Connor and Abby were out of the medical office and heading back to the ops area, where there were more people milling around doing various things.

"Now, what're we to do while we wait for the tests..." She mused out loud, hesitating pointlessly for Connor's input. She wanted him back to normal, she missed his chatter, incessant as it sometimes was.

"Maybe you should go to the flat?" She turned around to see Danny smiling. Connor narrowed his eyes, but didn't growl this time. Abby shook her head.

"It'll probably not be worth the effort to get him home an' back again today."

"That's assuming we do find a solution today, Abby." Danny pointed out. She frowned.

"You don't think we will?" She asked slowly, tone sharp. Connor wasn't completely oblivious, and growled low in his throat at Danny, thinking he was threatening her. Abby glared at Danny.

"I just think that it won't be any sort of easy thing, tha' is all I meant." He explained, "we're not going to give up at all, I just think we should think realistically for the short term."

Abby could see the sense in his words, but she didn't have to be happy about it. She hated feeling useless.

"Okay, fine. Tell Lester I'm taking Connor back to my flat." Danny nodded, walking towards their boss' office. Abby turned to Connor, who was still glaring at the ex-copper. "Oi, stop glarin' at him, Conn." She told him; he looked at her in confusion. "Nevermind." She muttered. "C'mon, this way." Luckily, Jack had texted her earlier to say that he'd be out of the flat till after dark, so she wouldn't have to fumble an explanation for Connor's... well, for why he was behaving strangely.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Just wanted to say, thanks for all the reviews, I'm so glad you guys're loving this :D And I have to edit my AN's from past chapters, because this story's probably going to have about 8 chapters ^^' Anyways, hope you enjoy the next bit:

* * *

It took a lot of convincing before Connor would willingly get into the car and let Abby buckle him in again, but soon enough they were on their way to the flat. Some grumbling and whining and consequent changing of stations later (because Connor didn't like the song that came on, and Abby changed it because his whining was worse than his music preferences), she pulled the blue Mini Cooper into a space.

Like Jack had said, he was out at the moment, and she was also relieved to find that he had in fact cleaned up the worst of his mess after she left for work. Connor started sniffing around and investigating the whole place the moment they walked in the door, and after putting up tea, she found him peeking into her room curiously.

"Connor!" He whipped around, eyes wide. Abby rolled her eyes. "You're worse than the Diictodons right now, Conn." She told him, shaking her head in amusement before heading back through to the living room. Connor paused before following her, and when she sat on the couch, he sat next to her and curled up against her, his cheek against her shoulder. Abby sighed, and turned on the tele.

She wondered what Helen's motives had been, for doing this - whatever it was - to Connor. Apart from the fact that he growled at most of the male members of the ARC team, there weren't any real negatives - he hadn't hurt any of them, he was clinging like a limpet to her 90% of the time, and he... Abby blinked, realization dawning.

Connor was the ARC's resident genius, even more so now that Cutter had been killed by Helen. Connor's mind was a major block in Helen's plans, whatever they may be.

Abby carefully disentangled her arm from Connor's grasp, ruffling his hair lightly before she went into the kitchen. Connor watched her, pouting slightly, until she was out of view. Up in the rafters, Rex chirped at Connor, glad to see the second of his humans in their home again.

* * *

Abby figured she had great timing, as the kettle was just boiling as she entered. She lowered the light before she picked up her mobile and dialed a number she knew quite well. Two rings, and Lester answered.

"James Lester."

"It's Abby. I just realized what Helen's motives for all this are." She said, deciding to cut to the chase.

"Oh?" She was half sure her boss'd already figured it out for himself, but said it anyway.

"If Connor can't think like a human, can't talk to tell us anything..."

"We will not be able to make much progress on the current projects." Lester finished, confirming her thoughts. "However, she did not consider, I think, that he would react the way he has. She probably believed he would behave differently, thereby lengthening the amount of time between injection and finding a cure."

"What should we do?"

"The lab teams are doing their best, Ms. Maitland, You will be the first to know when they find a cure. And in the meantime, keep Connor safe, in case Helen has secondary plans. I will instruct Captain Becker and Mr. Quinn to go over the security systems." Lester seemed calm and collected, but Abby could head his concern for his team in his voice, and smiled a little.

"Right." She said goodbye and hung up, quickly pouring the tea for herself and Connor and heading back to the other room.

* * *

When Abby entered the livingroom, she found Connor sitting and purring, with Rex on his shoulder, chirping happily. She felt herself relax a little more - she'd been more worried about those two interacting than she'd admitted to herself, but obviousy Connor remembered Rex and was perfectly comfortable around him still. Abby crossed to the couch and sat down next to them, giving Connor his cup of tea; he stared at it for a moment before it clicked, and she didn't, thankfully, have to help him drink it or hold the cup. Rex hopped off of his shoulder and onto the top of the couch, chirping.

Abby was surprised at how comfortable she felt, when Connor put his cup on the floor and then snuggled up to her once more. She'd though, with all of the awkwardness between them lately, she wouldn't be this comfortable holding his hand, or running her fingers through his hair, or cuddling on the sofa. She could blame it on the fact that she was looking after Connor's best interests right now, by providing him with the contact he apparently needed... but she'd be lying to both of them to say that that was her only reason for not putting up any protest.

She could face her feelings for him: she had to. It was not fair to either of them, but especially to Connor, to continue to pretend.

She sipped at her tea while they watched an old film on the tele, and twined her fingers with Connor's. His soft purr was soothing. If she considered it, it wasn't exactly like a cat's purr: humans don't have whatever it is that allows for a true, continuous purr. When he had to take a breath, the sound stopped, but that didn't lessen it's clear meaning of contentment. Abby leaned her head till it touched the top of Connor's, where it rested on her shoulder.

By the time the movie ended, it was almost dark out, and as she stood and stretched, carding fingers through Connor's hair as he sat cross-legged on the sofa, Abby realized that Jack would soon be home.

She bit her lip as she considered Connor. He was staying with Lester, she'd recently discovered, and Abby wasn't sure if their boss would take kindly to a feral version of the already naturally messy and impractically practical Connor Temple living in his flat. And she couldn't have Jack and Connor in the flat at the same time!

Connor followed her, curious again, and probably as hungry as she was, into the kitchen, where she'd left her mobile. He opened the pantry, she closed it. He opened one of the cabinets and a draw, and she closed those too, holding her mobile in the crook of her neck with her shoulder and holding Connor back from each thing he tried to investigate with her other hand.

Jack picked up his phone on the fifth ring.

"What?"

"Jack, sorry, you won't be able to come back to the flat for a few days." Abby said, batting away Connor's hand when he tried to open the bread drawer.

"Wha'? Why?"

"It's, er..." She bit her lip, thinking quickly. "It's being fumigated - bugs - and it won't be safe for a bit." She lied.

"Oh, er, a'ight. I guess I c'n crash with one of me mates for now." Jack said, hanging up without asking what she would do, and without saying goodbye.

"Brat." Abby muttered, putting her mobile down and taking Connor's hand. "Right, Conn, what do you think we should have for dinner?" He whined at her, and she couldn't help but laugh at his expression of 'I don't care, but please feed me'. "Okay, okay, here, why don't you have some crisps and I'll rustle something up?" She suggested, opening a package and handing them to him, before pushing Connor gently in the direction of the living room.

She'd cooked last night, and he'd gotten them takeaways the night before that, so technically it was his turn, but she couldn't even imagine trying to get her feral Connor to do that.

She'd make something easy, simple, and have him make it up to her... Maybe they could go on an actual date sometime... Abby froze, eyes wide, then she chuckled. Her thoughts betrayed her, but she actually liked the idea of going on a date with Connor. Abby smiled. Once they got him back to normal...


	6. Chapter 6

AN: All I will say is 1) Long!Chapter 2) Why do I feel like I can't get Danny or Becker's voices down right? /headdesk/

and 3)Almost!Conby moment... ;3

* * *

Abby wasn't used to a quiet Connor, and it was more than a little unsettling. Usually, he wouldn't stop talking for more than a few minutes at a time, and the conversation always easy and two-way between them. Right now, if she spoke, he probably couldn't understand her words, and he definitely couldn't answer, so everything felt off-balance.

Dinner was a strangely quiet affair, except for the moments when Connor made her think of a little kid mixed with a puppy, and he had tomato sauce all over him by the time he'd finished eating. Abby couldn't help but laugh, and he purred in response.

While Abby led Connor to the bathroom and turned the sink's tap on warm, finding a washcloth and soap, she considered how tonight was going to work, and possibly the next few nights as well. Abby turned to Connor, who stood there with tomato all over his face, and chuckled.

"You're not going to like this, are you?" She asked. He looked at her blankly.

"Hold still, Conn!" She said, laughing, scrubbing his face with the washcloth as he squirmed away, whining. She lost her grip on his shoulder and he spun away, before darting back to the sink and sticking a hand into the water.

"No, no, no -" Abby raised both hands, still laughing, as Connor narrowed his eyes at her playfully and cupped his hand in the water before splashing her.

It took ten minutes to get the last of the sauce off of his face, and by the end of it, they both were absolutely drenched from head to toe. In the back of her mind Abby was still thinking about where Connor would sleep, but most of her attention was on enjoying the moment. The last time they'd had this much fun... had been two years ago, before Stephen's death. Abby'd decided to wash her car, and Connor volunteered to help: they'd spent more time throwing the water at each other than at the car...

Abby smiled. She'd missed this, and even though he wasn't exactly thinking like himself, he was still so very much *Connor* that it was irrelevant.

"Connor!" She laughed, pushing him back when he shook his hair and sent more water spraying her way. His eyes grinned at her, and he moved closer to her, leaning forwards and pressing his nose against her shoulder. She pulled him into a hug, and suddenly found their faces much, much closer, when he straightened up at the same time. Abby met his dark eyes and leaned the tiniest bit closer...

The doorbell rang, and Abby pulled away, leaving Connor to stare after he in a sort of quietly confused way as she went.

* * *

Abby took a deep breath to calm her hammering heart before she went to the door.

"Who is it?" She hoped her voice was steady.

"Becker!" She opened the door and raised an eyebrow at the duffel bag in his hand. The Captain chuckled, lifting it slightly. "Lester sent me. He says this holds some of Connor's things - just the necessities - and that it'd be best if he stays here tonight." Becker told her, handing over the bag. Abby took it, smiling. Becker didn't comment on her wet clothes and hair, and neither did she.

"Thanks, Becker. Oh - Lester doesn't mind watching the Diictodons for a bit, does he?""

"He told me that if they eat his best suits or upend the rubbish bin again, he'll dock your's and Connor's salaries, but yes, he doesn't really mind." Abby laughed, thanking Becker again. After he left, and she closed the door, she turned around to find a disgruntled-looking Connor glaring at the closed door. The moment, whatever it could have been, was gone, and her heart didn't race when she took his hand and led him back into the main area of the flat.

"Conn, hey, it's just Becker, yeah? Come on."

* * *

She'd sat him down on the sofa with Rex and put in Star Wars, moving to the bathroom to clean up... and to think.

They'd almost kissed. Had Becker been a few moments later, Abby was sure she and Connor would have kissed, and she wasn't sure which of them would've instigated it. She huffed a little, realizing she wanted to know what it would be like: she wanted to kiss Connor, wanted to tell him how she felt and... She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. This was not the right time for this: Connor wasn't himself. She had, however, figured out where Connor would sleep. The sofa was comfy enough, and they'd fallen asleep on it before, during movie night.

She returned to the living room, feeling indescribably happy when Connor immediately snuggled close, her head on his shoulder. She felt safe... and loved, even though Connor hadn't - couldn't, right now - said it again to her. She knew how he felt; she felt the same.

* * *

Connor did not like being alone. Or at least, he did not like being apart from her, at all. She'd gotten up to go to bed halfway through the movie, moving his head off of her lap and untangling her hand from the unruly strands of his hair, and Connor had whined. He would sleep on the sofa, and she would sleep in her own bed. She thought she needed it, thought it was a better idea. Connor did not like that idea. He wanted to be wherever she was.

Ten minutes later, and she found him standing in her doorway, looking at her forlornly, like a kicked puppy. She sighed, taking his hand and pulling him after her to the sofa, where they curled up together. The movie continued playing long after they'd fallen asleep in each other's arms.

* * *

Danny yawned and rubbed his eyes, squirming his way through a ventilation shaft that led to the break room. Becker had suggested their favorite method of checking the security systems, after the inital checks had been done with. This was Helen they were talking about, and Becker and the other soldiers couldn't really think like she did. Danny could, however, having had to deal with wild-card suspects and madmen before.

He emerged from the small space to find Becker already there, grinning.

"I win."

"Yeah, yeah." Danny grumbled, smiling anyway. "Seal off the access points of this one, but I haven't found any more that lead outside the ARC."

"The one to the parking lot is closed up as well as health and safety will allow, and your little secret passageway is still safe." Well, there was one, and they'd both worked their hardest to make sure it was camouflaged from the outside access. It was the 'just in case' route out of the ARC.

"So, any updates on the progress?" Danny asked, as they walked through the hallway back to the ops area.

"Sarah says that the lab technicians say there's some. They've isolated something, but haven't quite made headway with reversing it." Becker said, frowning.

"Connor'll be alright." Danny said, as much to himself as to the Captain.

"Otherwise Abby will have our heads - and Helen's." Becker said, only half joking. Danny chuckled.


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Finally! ^^' chapter 7 of this fic :v Sorry for the wait... and huh, wow, looks like this story will now be 11 chapters long insteadof 8. Because there's no way I can wrap everything up in one chapter. ^^'' Not if you all want a Conby kiss/ for the two of them to get their acts together! XD Anyways, hope this chapter lives up to expectations, and hope you enjoy. Thank you for all the reviews! I love reading your reactions ;D

* * *

Abby awoke the next morning up to find herself comfortably entwined with Connor on the sofa. He was still fast asleep, breathing quietly and peacefully - she always woke up earlier than him, anyway - and she found herself watching him sleep. As constantly animated as he was when awake, there was something fascinating about how still he was when asleep, in contrast. She moved just far enough to be able to see his face better. Waking up like this, with Connor, it was more comfortable than she could've imagined... It felt right, somehow. (Because, she told herself, it was still platonic... right?) She was still too sleep-muddled to really give her thoughts too much mind. Connor was, among men, not only handsome but also beautiful, with startlingly long lashes and cupid's bow lips, and the gentle smile on his face in his slumber made her wonder what he was dreaming about.

After a few minutes, she untangled herself, getting up and sleepily making her way to the kitchen. She put the kettle on, and then wandered into her room to change (she'd still been wearing her clothes from the day before when she'd tried to go to sleep in her own bed, and then slept on the couch with Connor). halfway through getting dressed, Abby finally woke up the rest of the way, and she hurried through getting the rest of her clothes on so she could run out and check her phone.

There were two text messages, one from Sarah and one from Danny. Danny's said that he and Becker had shored up all holes in security and that the Captain had set up observation on the flat, just in case Helen decided to come knocking. Sarah's message frustrated Abby: They were making progress, but hadn't found a cure yet. Abby wanted to do something useful; she wanted to help reverse what Helen'd done to Connor, but she couldn't, not really. Not that she really minded taking care of Connor, and spending time with him wasn't a hardship, but she had a case of cabin fever already, and not being able to help...

She couldn't even go to the store, or take a walk, because she wasn't going to leave Connor alone, and she had a feeling taking him with her would be a horrible idea.

Abby also knew that if she was having a hard time, even feral as he was, Connor would probably have a worse time of it, once he woke up. Sitting idle didn't fit either of them well, at all. She could hear Connor waking up in the other room, as the kettle started to boil.

* * *

Abby was relieved that Connor's mind had retained the knowledge of dressing himself in spite of whatever Helen had done to him, and Abby was both thankful and also - she secretly admitted to herself - somewhat disappointed that she didn't have to help him, at least with his shirts... She shook her head to expel the thought, pouring cereal into her bowl in the kitchen.

* * *

After breakfast, Abby could tell that Connor was bored, and she racked her brain for something to do. She usually went to Yoga while Connor played video games, but she was pretty sure that he couldn't play any of them right now, and if she went to yoga, she'd probably spend the entire time worrying. Abby turned on the radio, putting the volume up when a favorite of the both of them came on. Connor's eyes were bright and he was bouncing in his seat when she turned around, and she laughed.

She ended up dancing around the kitchen singing at the top of her lungs while Connor attempted to hum loudly along, dancing as well. Ten minutes later and the music was blasting, windows flung open to let the brisk morning air in, and Abby was collapsed in giggles while Connor looked bewildered. She got control of herself in time for the music to change, and a slower song started playing. Abby stared at Connor for a moment before she slipped past him to turn the radio off, chuckling awkwardly.

"That was fun. Why don't we ever do things like that normally, Conn?" She asked, knowing she wouldn't get and answer. He purred, and pulled her into a hug. She returned it, but cleared her throat after a moment. "Erm, Conn..." He let go, gaze apologetic "It's alright." She told him, stepping away. The sun was shining, and it was warm out, and Abby and Connor ended up sitting outside on the front steps of the flat, people-watching. Abby kept checking her phone, and Connor had his head on her shoulder.

* * *

Location: Unknown

Helen smirked. The soldier boy and wild-card copper really thought they had everything patched, didn't they? She chuckled. They were just lucky she was fine with observing. And that there wasn't due another anomaly in the location of the ARC for five years or so from now. Her plan had had some unintended results, but the main one was good enough. She'd slowed their progress, and she truly didn't think they would find a way to reverse what she'd done. Maybe, if she was lucky, they would try to bargain with her! That could be a bit of fun... And as much as she could say she didn't really care about the internal workings of the ARC, the blondie and her ex husband's little prodigy really needed some sort of push. Maybe they'd get together, and then she could have some fun messing with their emotions again at some later point. People in love tended to react in unexpected ways to some of her ideas... Not that they were terribly important, not like stopping the destruction of the world by human beings was. She would concentrate on that. She still had yet to figure out what the artefact really did. Too bad she hadn't had time to steal it back when she'd been in the ARC, but that anomaly wouldn't have stayed open much longer anyway.

She hummed as she turned and walked away.

* * *

"Okay, I'm bored out of my mind. Let's walk to the ARC, 'n see how they're doing, yeah? Maybe you can hang around the menagerie with me?" Abby suggested suddenly, taking Connor's hand and standing up. He immediately got to his feet as well, purring. Abby chuckled. "I should probably warn the guys, but I kind of want to see what'll happen." Abby admitted, snickering. "Let me just get my bag and the detectors and lock the door, 'n we'll be off."

Connor followed her back inside, and when she emerged from her room, she found him sitting on the counter top, swinging his legs. Abby rolled her eyes, shutting the windows they'd thrown open earlier.

"Oi, off the counter, Conn!" He turned wide eyes on her, and dutifully did as she said, following her eagerly as they left the flat.

"I hope this isn't the worst idea of the century, Conn." Abby muttered. Twining her fingers with his wasn't even a conscious thought, as she'd gotten so used to and comfortable with the action. His hands were clad, as ever, in his black fingerless gloves. She wondered for the hundredth or so time why he wore them near-constantly. She had to focus again, though, because they hadn't walked to work in a while, and she didn't fancy getting lost in her own neighborhood with a feral Connor, or at all, really.


	8. Chapter 8

AN: I'm getting a tiny tiny bit worried about how I'm going to do this ^^' I don't want to rush anything, but I also don't want to draw it out unnecessarily. I do, however, like how this chapter reads. Hope you guys do too ^^' Also, I did a bit of research on wolf behaviors, because I wanted to make sure for a part of this, and my choice works so yay. lol.

* * *

Thankfully, the walk to the ARC was uneventful, and just long enough of a walk to stretch muscles tightened by inactivity. It also seemed to serve to calm Connor down, as at the start, he was rather hyper. By the time the two of them arrived at the gate - Abby had remembered to pack their security passes - Connor was more sedate, but still enthusiastic as ever. He would probably have fun visiting the creatures in the menagerie, and she wondered she he didn't normally go there once in a while. One more thing to ask him when - when, not if - they got him back to normal. Abby figured she had a list a mile long by now, as she led him through the hallways towards the menagerie.

"Abby?" She stopped walking and turned to smile at Becker, who stood in the doorway to the armoury, arms extended to the top and side of the doorway in a was that only he could make look lazy, rather than a strain. Abby opened her mouth to greet him, when she was interrupted by Connor's growl. Abby shifted so her hand wasn't in Connor's, but gripped his wrist.

"Conn, calm down, it's OK; it's Becker, yeah? You know him, he's a good guy..." Abby turned to the feral young man and soothed. Despite the possible seriousness of the moment, a part of her brain still noticed that with his nose scrunched up as he growled, he looked kind of cute. She gave herself a mental shake. The Captain didn't seem too worried that Connor would attack him.

Abby narrowed her eyes, thinking. Connor growled again, and she stroked the back of his hand; he was being protective and... possessive. What she couldn't understand was why he would think Becker or Danny as threats to either herself or Connor. She most certainly wasn't interested in them that way, and she had never given any signs that she was...

But then again, she'd never given any signs that she wasn't, and she knew that Connor, the sweetheart that he was, was also not very confident when it came to anything regarding interacting with her... and it was probably, mostly, her fault. Still, she would deal with that specific issue... after.

"Sorry, Becker. I wanted to get us out of the flat for a bit, we were getting bored, so we're gonna stay out of the way, maybe visit the menagerie, or Sarah." She paused an idea forming in her mind, "could you take a few steps back, and tilt your head a little?" Becker raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"I want to see something. Please?" He sighed, nodding, and acquiesced. Immediately, Connor stopped growling, though he still watched Becker carefully. Abby grinned. "Well, I guess my theory was right."

"And what's that?" Becker asked, curious. Abby could only smirk.

"Connor thinks I'm, in simple terms, the alpha wolf, and you were challenging me." She hadn't been sure, because some of how Connor acted wasn't wolflike at all, but she'd guessed right, this time. And if there was another little theory, that Connor wanted to be her's, and thought Becker was challenging him on that, buzzing around her mind, Abby would keep it a secret. She wasn't sure what she thought of that idea.

* * *

Sarah was juggling her time between working on the artefact, and assisting in finding a cure for Connor. Since Lester had told them what Helen's plans might be, Sarah had realized that they couldn't forget about the artefact; it was too important, and the reason Helen had done this. If they could figure it out and get Connor back to normal...

Unfortunately, while she knew some basics, she wasn't much help to the lab technicians working on the cure. She was, first and foremost, an archaeologist, and working with blood and foreign contaminants and all of that... she didn't have much of a head for it, to be honest. So she was doing what she could, which was working on what Connor could not, at the moment, help her do.

* * *

Maria, one of the lab technicians, pushed her dark hair over her shoulder and frowned down at the charts and results of tests. Around her, the others - blonde Annie who was almost overqualified to be here but was no closer than the rest of them to the cure, Jonah, tall with brown hair and glasses, Irin of short auburn hair who was darting from one thing to another with her usual zeal, Micha who looked too fit to be only a lab tech but was quite brilliant, and Lisa, with hair as dark as Maria's and an occasional mean streak - continue or collaborated on their parts of the momentous task with varying degrees of speed.

They weren't having much success, despite having found what seemed to be the cause of it. They couldn't treat this like an illness, because whatever Helen had done to Connor, it wasn't merely an infection, or anything like that. Normally, and even for things like snake bites and such, a sample of the thing that caused it was enough to culture something to reverse it or kill off the invading substance.

Maria was getting worried that they wouldn't be able to reverse this. She had a sinking, horrible feeling that Connor Temple would be stuck like that forever.

She didn't fancy telling that to Abby Maitland.

* * *

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

AN: I have mixed feelings about this long chapter, but I think this definitely moves things forwards quite a bit...

* * *

It had been a week, since Helen had turned Connor feral. While Abby was definitely worried for him, and a part of her was increasingly on the edge of a panic attack, she concentrated on the 'now', and focused on what she could affect. Since Connor wasn't happy around anyone else but her - a few minutes alone with Danny had led to one hell of a staring contest, and if Abby hadn't entered the room just then, Connor probably would've attacked Danny for loosing the challenge - Abby had had to spend nearly every waking moment around him.

Not that they didn't normally spend the majority of their time together anyway, but this was different. She wasn't sure she minded as much, because she could shut off the part of her mind telling her not to cuddle with Connor lest he assume too much, because Connor wasn't thinking like himself, either. So... all of this closeness - it was safe.

She'd had to tell her brother that there was a bit of trouble with the flat, and he wouldn't be able to stay there for a bit longer than she'd first thought. He'd grudgingly accepted, telling her that he'd be alright to stay at a B&B for a while. He also asked for money; Abby was probably right to assume that he was still gambling with his friends, but he was her brother, and was staying out of her hair for the most part. She gave him enough for another week at the B&B. He hadn't called since, and she felt bad for being relieved by that fact.

Today she and Connor would be heading back to the ARC for a few more tests. Apparently the lab tech team had a lead, but they needed a little more blood. Besides that, she and Connor were getting restless again, so even though being stuck with a needle clearly wasn't Connor's concept of a good time, it was still a better idea than staying in the flat 24/7.

* * *

The lab tech who was standing by while the medic took Connor's blood introduced herself as Irin. Abby was reminded of Connor, watching the jittery, enthusiastic young woman peppering the medic with questions as she darted around the room restlessly. And a plus: she wasn't bothering Connor, who was grudgingly staying still for the medic. The man was a calm and unruffled type of guy, and Abby was glad of that, as well. He kept Connor calm throughout the procedure, and Abby found she was able to leave him with the medic for a bit while she pulled Irin outside the office.

"So, any news?" Abby asked. The red head's grin faltered for a moment.

"It's hard to say." Irin hedged. Abby waited. "We're making some progress, and Micha thinks he has a lead, and we mostly agree with him, but..." She paused. "Well, we'll know more for sure after we test the new sample."

"Okay. Thanks." Abby said, tone flat. Irin caught her arm.

"I'm sorry. We're doing our best."

"I know. It's just difficult to imagine..." Abby cut herself off, but Irin knew what she was thinking about. Maria was of the opinion that Micha's lead was hopeless, and that Connor was stuck like this. Irin was most assuredly not sharing that distasteful tidbit with Abby.

"I'll let you know when we get the results." Irin said instead. They went back into the office, and Abby found Connor poking at the colorful plaster. The Medic handed the samples to Irin, who left soon after.

* * *

Abby took Connor to visit the menagerie again. He seemed to enjoy it, though the Smilodon made him nervous from behind the glass. Manny whuffled his dark hair with air from his trunk, and Abby giggled at the look on Connor's face.

He turned to her and a strange look came to his eyes. It reminded her of the look on his face a year ago, before Stephen's death. It had been just after he'd told her he loved her, saved her life, and then looked at her that way. Then he'd gone on to deny saying he loved her at all. She'd let him go, rather than try and push, because she didn't know how to react. Love was... frightening. And Connor, he was her best friend. She didn't want to lose him.

Only now she wondered if that same fear caused his denial.

Abby met his gaze now, and didn't move when he approached. She didn't move until he was close enough that she felt his breath on her face, and then she shifted, tilting her head and pushing up on her toes just a little, until their lips met.

* * *

They had kissed.

She had kissed Connor, and he had kissed her back, tentatively and messy but...

Abby couldn't say she hadn't enjoyed it. She just didn't know what to do about it now that it had been done. Now everything seemed different. She had to remind herself that Connor wasn't himself, because a part of her was now unsure and uncomfortable about slipping her hand into his, or leaning close to him, or any of the things she'd done and he'd done since Helen had messed with Connor.

She had to remind herself that he wasn't himself, so that she could think of holding his hand as she used to before the kiss. It had been to keep him calm, grounded, to keep him from reacting badly to strangers and Becker and Danny and Lester. After that kiss, a part of her mind was telling her that it meant more, but it couldn't, not right now.

Abby looked at Connor, and held his hand, and smiled. But after, once they got her Connor back to normal, there were two important items on the to do list: Kiss Connor, and take him on a date.

* * *

Two days later, and Abby got a call from the ARC in the middle of the night. She squirmed her way out of Connor's arms - and falling asleep after that kiss with him so close had been difficult, and to top it off she'd dreamt of kissing him again, every night since - and ran to her bedroom to find her mobile ringing incessantly.

"Hello?" She answered it sleepily.

"Ms Maitland."

"Oh, Lester. Hi."

"You and your puppy dog ought to come in. There's news you might want to hear."

Abby's eyes widened.

"They found a cure?!" She exclaimed.

"I'd rather not explain the details over the phone. Twenty minutes, my office."

Within fifteen minutes, they were fed and on their way to the ARC.

* * *

The six lab techs were joined in Lester's office by Lester, Sarah, Becker, and Danny. Everyone sat there, hardly speaking, while they waited for Connor and Abby. The two walked in just then, and Abby led Connor to a pair of seats near Sarah. Connor, for once, didn't growl at anyone, merely curled as close to Abby as the armrests of his chair would allow.

Abby cleared her throat.

"So, you said there's news?"

Lester nodded to the lab techs. The group whispered to each other for a moment before one of them stepped forwards. A man who didn't look like a stereotypical lab tech glanced around nervously before he took a deep breath and then spoke.

"We think we've found a cure."

"Yes!"

"That's great news!"

The team looked at each other and grinned, but Abby's broad smile dropped when she noticed the expression on the man's face.

"There's something else, isn't there?" She asked, slowly.

The lab tech grimaced.

"Yes. We've found a possible cure - but it's a huge risk. It might turn him back to normal... but there are some dangerous possible side effects. " He paused. "He might end up with brain damage - might be stuck with the brain capacities of a child, permanently. It also might not work at all." He man gulped audibly, and didn't meet any of their stunned gazes. "It could also kill him."

They sat there in numb silence.


	10. Chapter 10

AN: Don't worry! There's always a solution! :3 Also, please excuse my liberal use of literary license to interpret rDNA. Basically, I'm BSing more than I know, but I did do some research... ^^' A few weeks ago... Basically I tried to make it sound believable, and whether or not it's possible is irrelevant. ;L

* * *

"No." Abby didn't hesitate before protesting. She was not going to risk Connor's life or health in any way. "Absolutely not."

"I thought not." Lester said, sighing. "But I understand completely." Their boss added, begrudging compassion on his face.

"So..." Abby said, voice small. What would they do now? Was Conn going to be feral for the rest of his life?

"We'll keep looking. Find another way to cure him that won't have as many risks." The lab tech told her earnestly. Abby nodded, shoulders slumping.

* * *

"After we cure you, Conn, we're going to go on a date- a real one, to a nice restaurant." Abby said, needing to hear it out loud. The decision felt more real, solid, when it was out in the open like that. Too bad she didn't have the courage to say the same about that kiss.

Connor looked at her, head tilted in puzzlement. "Oh, Conn..." She sighed, looking at him unhappily. He moved closer to where she sat on the sofa in the break room. "If you understood, you'd probably be grinning bright enough to light up all the trees at Christmas." Abby said, tone rueful.

Sarah peeked in the door.

"Hey, Abby."

"Hi." Abby could barely muster any enthusiasm. "Something up?"

"Just wondering. It's nearly lunchtime, and we were planning on getting takeaways. you want something?"

"From where?"

"The little Indian place around the corner." Sarah said, smiling. Connor had his head leaning on Abby's shoulder, purring.

"Sure. And for Connor, too." Sarah handed Abby the menu, and they chatted for a bit, before the archaeologist left to get Danny to order the food.

* * *

Yesterday she'd turned down the risky cure. Today, Abby was getting frustrated with the lack of progress on a non-life-threatening cure.

Meanwhile, to add to her stress, Jack was getting annoyed and suspicious that he still wasn't allowed to return to living in the flat; Abby could hear it in his voice, but it was her flat, and Connor was... Well, he was more important right now, never mind what his relation to her was.

Abby sat on the sofa, pretending to read while she was actually watching Connor watch the tele. She shook her head to clear it, ignoring the sound of Doctor Who and Connor's purr to focus on her book. She rarely got enough time to read, working at the ARC. Might as well consider this a mini holiday, she mused, and enjoy it as best she could.

* * *

"Ms. Maitland, could you- Ah! Grr! Could you please pick up Mr. Temple's pets before they eat me out of house and home - literally!?"

"Sorry Lester! Of course." She chuckled when she hung up the phone, imagining the look of outrage on Lester's face while Sid and Nancy nibbled on his best shirt, or some piece of furniture. "Looks like we're going on a little adventure, Conn."

Rex would be happy to see the Diictodons - and so would she and Connor.

* * *

Two days later, with no progress to speak of, and Abby was more than frustrated now.

"You know what? I can't just - _we_ can't just sit around here, _waiting_ for news. I may not be a genius, Conn, but I can do a little bit of Google searching. Maybe something'll come up… as impossible as that sounds…" She exclaimed, ignoring his wide-eyed puzzlement as she stood and grabbed his laptop, tapping the button to turn it on with a bit more force than necessary.

"Whatever Helen did has to do with your DNA, right?" She was asking rhetorical questions, really, knowing that Connor couldn't answer. He purred at her - she wondered how much he actually understood- and snuggled as close as he could while she tapped away at the keyboard.

"DNA...hmmm..." Abby's eyes brightened. "I have an idea."

* * *

"They're looking at it all wrong." Abby said, holding her mobile between shoulder and chin while she read the article. "We don't need to find a cure - we need to _reverse_ what Helen did!"

"Whatever do you mean?" Lester demanded, "were you, by any chance, given a degree on genetics or whatever it is they're dealing with, overnight?"

"No. But I know for a fact that I'm right. The way Helen administered it to Connor, and the way they explained what happened to his DNA - they both match the descriptions in the article to a tee." Abby said, utterly serious. Connor was in the other room playing with Sid, Nancy, and Rex while she made this call.

"Fine, do go on." Cue long-suffering tone of voice from their boss; Abby had a hard time not chuckling.

"Recombinant DNA. It can be used to change the DNA sequence in small ways. It's used mostly with plants and things like that, to make medicines like Penicillin, but it can also be used in genetic cloning and the addition of foreign material to DNA. That last one is what Helen did to Connor... some sort of future tech was probably needed to make it happen, but reversing it is easier!"

"We're going to have to bring in a specialist in this field, I think." Lester muttered. "But I think you do have a likely idea there. I'll speak with the board and see what I can do about finding someone with clearance, and have them take a look at this. Hopefully we'll have Mr. Temple back to normal quite soon."

Abby ended the call, a huge grin on her face. Her research might have paid off. She just hoped it would work out, and that the method to reverse what Helen had done would not be nearly as dangerous as the ARC team's cure.

* * *

TBC!


	11. Chapter 11

AN: I felt a shift in point of view was due, specifically because this chapter is the last one! Hope you enjoy this chapter! Thank you all for the reviews, and I'm glad you guys enjoyed this story. :D I'm sad to see it go of course, like I said, but hopefully I've given it a good enough ending... I had fun with the last Connor line, as well. 3

* * *

The world was strange and hazy, like looking through fog with bright sunshine streaming through the low-hanging cloud cover. It felt like his ears had popped, everything sounded like an out of tune radio, tinny and hard to understand. His brain was muzzy, thoughts wandering through his mind and then away again, several half-formed ideas and dreamlike thoughts drifting by too quickly to be comprehended.

He sat up, blinking blearily at the world. Flashes of memory danced through his mind but he couldn't latch on to them. Where was he? What was his name? Connor... he was Connor Temple. A small smile formed on his face, but vanished quickly. He was still puzzled, touching the sheets beneath his hand, trying to ground himself. Where was...? Connor frowned. He knew her name, she was very **very** important to him. What was it? It began with an A... Abby Maitland. He looked around the room for her, worrying his lip with his teeth.

Connor saw her, relaxing slightly as he found Abby lying asleep in a chair by the bed.

_Where am I?_ Connor had a vague sense of confusion, concentrating on the details of the room he was in. A hospital? No, not a hospital, the walls and ceiling looked too familiar.

It looked like the medical wing of the ARC. Connor nodded as he came to that conclusion, though he was still left wondering why he was there. He pushed the sheets off of his legs, noticing an IV in his arm with a grimace, and stood, bringing the pole-on-wheels with him as he investigated.

"Connor?" He turned around to see Abby awake, wide blue eyes searching his gaze. He smiled at her.

"Hi." Connor said, voice rough, blinking in surprise as she surged out of her chair, to her feet, and rushed at him, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. He decided to go with it, appreciating Abby's few and far between hugs enough to relax, putting his arms around her and tucking his head against hers.

With a sigh, Abby pulled away slightly, and Connor let go, taking a step back to smile at her, brows furrowed slightly.

"What's happened?" He felt like he'd swallowed a wad of cotton, his mouth was dry and the words felt strange... almost like he hadn't spoken in a while.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Abby asked.

Connor concentrated, closing his eyes. There were flashes of things, of moments. They were dreams though, right? For one, he would never have growled at Abby. And secondly, she would never, in real life, kiss him...

"Er...I was in the hub...and then an anomaly opened. Helen came through, 'n shot somethin' at me. It's all... blurry, after tha'." He must have been imagining the look of disappointment on Abby's face.

"Dr. Terin said you might have a hard time remembering. Helen shot something called rDNA at you, and it caused you to, basically, become 'feral'. You've not been yourself for nearly 2 weeks now." Abby said.

Connor looked at her with wide eyes. So the 'dreams'... they were real?!

"How did... y'know...?" He gestured at the room, and Abby's intent expression shifted, amusement making her eyes sparkle. He couldn't help but smile in response.

"I did some research, and then Lester found a specialist with clearance.

His name's Dr. Frank Terin." Abby paused. "He said the procedure was mostly risk-free, that you might have a hard time remembering, and that you might tend towards nonverbal communication more often than you used to, but that you'd be fine. I'm glad he was right." She told him, taking a step forwards again. Connor blinked at her, grin hesitant as she entered his personal space again. "I missed you."

"Did you kiss me?" He couldn't stop the words before they slipped out, and flushed a bright red. Abby's cheeks were pink too.

"Yes." She said.

"Will you go out with me, Abby?" He asked, unsteadily. She was so close -

She leaned forwards, a hand on his jaw. His eyes fluttered closed as their lips met in a kiss, filled with everything they'd said and everything they hadn't.

"I love you." When they broke the kiss, Connor spoke in a quiet, breathless voice. Abby froze, and Connor's expression filled with worry. "Abbs..."

"I love you too." She breathed the words in his ear, hiding her face.

Clapping from the doorway made them both blush, twisting around - not letting go of the other, as they'd wound up in an embrace once more - to glare half-heartedly at their friends, who grinned in return.

"It's about time!"

Danny whistled, eyes full of mirth.

"Shut up!" Abby laughed.

"It's not even our first kiss!"

Connor protested, turning red when he realized that would just make it worse. Danny cackled, and Becker smirked. Sarah gave them both a thumbs up.

"Go away!" Connor whined, hiding his face.

"We'll see you too lovebirds later."

"Oh, and we're glad you're back to some semblance of normalcy, Conn."

The voices of their friends faded as they walked away, leaving Connor and Abby embarrassed, but happy despite that.

* * *

"Was th' water fight real, too?"

* * *

"What abou' the snugglin'?"

* * *

"You're definitely th' alpha wolf for me, Abbs."

* * *

"One more, and I'm going to hit you, Connor Temple!"

* * *

"I wonder if Helen knows 'er plan failed..."

"We know this isn't the last time she's going to interfere in our lives, that's for sure."

"Hopefully it is. I don't think I'd be 'alf as brave or clever as you were, if she did somethin' like tha' to you." Connor admitted.

"Of course you would, Conn."

* * *

"I didn't count on being stuck in the cretaceous."

"I don't think anyone considered this happenin', Conn."

"Me leg 'urts."

"Think of a happy place."

"I'm 'appy 'ere with you."

/THE END/


	12. Chapter 12: Bonus: The Date

AN: So, I realized that I didn't include Conby's date! All that talk about it and I didn't write it! It didn't feel quite right to end it like that. So while I like all of the moments at the end of chapter 11, I decided we needed this, too. And it had to be done Conby style. *nods*

* * *

Their first date had gone badly - but in the sort of hillariously horrible way that only she and Connor could ever possibly have, and not feel unhappy about afterwards. At least they hadn't had their evening interrupted by any anomalies, and the chaos that had been the film and dinner they had planned on was nothing in comparison to the chaos of their daily lives.

Connor's apologized, but Abby told him it was okay; it really was. She loved Connor, and it wasn't his fault nothing had gone 'right'. She definitely didn't mind the walk they had taken to get home, with the moon bright and the sky clear, the air warm for once, and dry, hands twined. And snuggling at the flat on the sofa together was never a bad thing, either.

They both enjoyed lounging around and kissing and watching films on the tele, a throw blanket over them, pulled up to shoulders, Connor unable to stop the purr that had remained despite Dr. Terin's efforts. She liked the both of them getting dressed up and going out, but just sitting at home like this with Connor - it was just right, too.

They roasted marshmallows over the stovetop, and Connor got some of the goo in his hair, and they fell into the bath together - still fully-dressed - sending all the shampoo and conditioner bottles crashing to the floor.

They looked at each other, and then burst out laughing.

It wasn't perfect... but somehow that's what made it just right, for Connor and Abby.


End file.
